Department of Health and Social Care

Protective Clothing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2023 to Question 141370 on Protective Clothing, if he will publish the evidence that supports the recommendation for patients at high risk of infection due to immunosuppression to continue wearing masks in NHS settings; and if he will undertake a cost benefit analysis of that recommendation.

Maria Caulfield: The National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM), published by NHS England in April 2022, is used by health care providers in all healthcare settings in England and is complimented by pathogen/disease specific guidance produced by UK Health Security Agency.The NIPCM recommends that, following risk assessment, face coverings can be worn by patients as a form of source control, providing this does not compromise their clinical care or safety. This would include patients deemed to be at increased risk of infection, such as those who are immuno-compromised, and during periods where local epidemiology indicates a likely increase in risk of nosocomial transmission of a specific pathogen. At local level, the decision regarding the implementation of this measure should be informed by clinical judgement and risk assessment.Recommendations regarding the use of face masks is informed by a literature review conducted by Antimicrobial Resistance & Healthcare Associated Infection Scotland, which is available at the following link:https://www.nipcm.hps.scot.nhs.uk/media/2113/2022-01-06-surgical-masks-sicps-and-tbps-v20-final.pdfAs set out in the United Kingdom’s five year national action plan for tackling antimicrobial resistance, NHS England’s National Infection Prevention and Control Team is currently undertaking literature reviews to support the NIPCM. While this process is on-going, the scientific and epidemiological data and literature remain under constant review.The Department’s first priority is to protect the health and wellbeing of patients and staff, with no current plans to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the recommendation.

Immunosuppression: Research

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that his Department's work on pandemic preparedness planning includes immunogenicity research.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, If he will include immunogenicity research in his Department's pandemic preparedness plans.

Maria Caulfield: An established clinical countermeasures programme, including arrangements for vaccines, is a core component of our pandemic preparedness and response capability. The programme is informed by scientific and clinical assessment of the evidence base, including the latest evidence on vaccine-induced immunogenicity, and is kept under review, building on lessons learned from previous outbreaks.In December 2022, the Government and Moderna entered a strategic partnership to set up mRNA research and development and manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom. Under the partnership, Moderna will build a new Innovation and Technology Centre in the UK, which will create more than 150 highly skilled jobs and have the capacity to produce up to 250 million vaccines per year in the event of a pandemic.The Department, commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Since 2018, the NIHR has allocated over £80 million in funding for a broad portfolio of immunology research that has included immunogenicity as a consideration. Whilst it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR welcomes funding application for research into any aspect of human health, including immunogenicity.The Office for Life Sciences new £38 million biomanufacturing fund will incentivise investment to bolster the UK’s onshore capacity and capability across the biomanufacturing supply chain for vaccines and other medicines.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Reservoirs

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of water levels in reservoirs to prevent water shortages.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency (EA) receive regular data on reservoir levels from water companies. They use this information to report the water situation which is published each month. The information is used in operational, drought management and water planning activities. Public water supply reservoir storage for England is at 92% of total capacity (as of 16 May) compared to 88% this time last year. EA have assessed the water company’s public water supply projections for this summer and autumn if there was a repeat of the hot, dry conditions experienced in 2022. Overall, water levels are improved, but ongoing action will remain vital for securing our water supply into the future. The EA continue to monitor water availability and work with National Drought Group members to maintain operational planning and ensure the water needs of the public, other water users and the environment are balanced. Defra recently published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply. The Plan sets out our commitment to a twin track approach to improving water resilience, with action to reduce water company leaks alongside investing in new supply infrastructure. On leakage, the Plan sets out a trajectory for water companies to reduce leakage, with targets of 20% by 2027 and 30% by 2032. The industry has committed to reducing leakage by 50% by 2050. Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers. To fulfil this duty there are statutory requirements to consult, publish and maintain Water Resources Management Plans, to balance water supply and demand at least twenty-five years into the future, and to develop drought plans setting out the actions taken to maintain secure supplies during drought events. In addition to their Water Resources Management Plans, water companies are also using the £469 million made available by Ofwat in the current Price Review period (2019-2024) to investigate strategic water resources options, that are required to improve the resilience of England’s water supplies. In April 2023, Ofwat announced that water companies are bringing forward £1.6bn for new infrastructure, starting in the next two years, aimed at improving our water resilience and secure water supplies in the long term.

Air Pollution: Bedfordshire

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on reducing air pollution in Bedfordshire in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: Defra provides funding to English councils through the Air Quality Grant to help them develop and implement locally targeted measures. In 2023 Bedford County Council was awarded £249,178 for projects aimed at improving air quality.

Air Pollution: Lincolnshire

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on reducing air pollution in Lincolnshire in each of the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: Defra provides funding to English councils through the Air Quality Grant to help them develop and implement locally targeted measures. In 2023 Lincolnshire County Council was awarded £58,000 from the grant to promote behaviour change to reduce air pollution.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when Water UK first advised her Department that water providers intended to increase water bills rather than use profits to cover the cost of infrastructure to prevent sewage discharges.

Rebecca Pow: Water UK’s recent announcement shows that water companies are responding to what we have already asked of them in our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. The Plan was published in August 2022, alongside an Impact Assessment which considers costs and benefits of the final targets to businesses, the public, wider society and government spending where applicable. It is Ofwat, the independent Regulator, and not the government that assesses water companies’ business plans and sets the overall price cap that each company may recover from customers. As part of the process, Ofwat balances the interests of consumers with the ability for companies to fund their services.

Recycling: Infrastructure

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the UK's recycling infrastructure on meeting domestic demand.

Rebecca Pow: Defra intends to publish a Waste Infrastructure Roadmap in the coming months. This will set out anticipated waste arisings to 2035, taking into account the impact of Defra’s Collection and Packaging Reforms, and will map this against known waste management infrastructure. Once published, this will provide a signal as to where there is considered to be a likely over or under-provision of waste management capacity to support investors and local authorities in decision making.

Forests

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of woodland creation funded through the Nature for Climate Fund is met through (a) natural colonisation and (b) tree planting; and in which areas these woodlands have been created.

Trudy Harrison: The Nature for Climate Fund (NCF) offers include a range of different types of tree planting to support the establishment of “the right tree in the right place”. The England Woodland Creation Offer includes Additional Contributions to support nature recovery, of which natural colonisation is one of them. 192 hectares of natural colonisation has been established so far. Other NCF planting grants also support natural colonisation, but we do not hold data on the amount of planting that has been created through natural colonisation for those schemes’ The Forestry Commission produces statistics on all new planting of woodland for the UK. These can be found in Forestry Statistics (https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/) on the Forest Research website. These statistics are reported for each financial year in thousands of hectares. The latest available figures are for 2021-22. These figures include woodland created through natural colonisation but it does not specify a separate figure for woodland created through natural colonisation.

Hunting: Enforcement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to monitor the effectiveness of police enforcement of the ban on live hunting under the Hunting Act 2004.

Trudy Harrison: The enforcement of the Hunting Act is an operational matter for the police. This is in line with their duties to keep the peace, protect communities and prevent the commission of offences, working within the provisions of the legal framework set by Parliament. It is for individual Chief Constables to determine how their resources are deployed and it is for locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners to hold their forces to account. This includes consideration of how the police tackle the crimes that matter most to residents and businesses in rural and urban areas alike.

Fisheries: Falkland Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the Falkland Islands to maintain a healthy fishing stock in surrounding sovereign waters.

Mark Spencer: The Falkland Islands Government is responsible for managing the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Falkland Islands, including managing fisheries in a way that maintains healthy fish stocks. Defra officials have a good working relationship with the Falkland Islands Government on issues of mutual interest, including the fishing occurring in international waters near to the Falkland Islands Exclusive Economic Zone.

Crops and Livestock: Temperature

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) amount of crops ruined and (b) number of animal deaths caused by extreme heat in each of the last three years.

Mark Spencer: Defra has made no estimates of crops ruined by extreme heat in the last 3 years. Doing so will be extremely complex as the horticulture and arable sectors cover a broad spectrum of crops harvested at different times of the year. Yield, growth, and quality of crops will continue to vary by region, area, crop, soil type, water availability and fertilizer applications amongst other factors. The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges in the past few years. We have no annual estimate of the number of animals (farmed, companion or zoo animals) that have died in extreme heat events in the last three years, although in July 2022 at least 4 million meat chickens died in the extreme heat in England.

Department for Business and Trade

Exclusive Economic Zone: Pay

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps to ensure that the National Minimum Wage applies to all staff on vessels working from UK ports in the supply chains of offshore wind farms in the UK Exclusive Economic Zone.

Kevin Hollinrake: National Minimum Wage (NMW) legislation applies to those who work or ordinarily work in the UK, as well as to some workers on UK-registered ships. We have a proud record of extending the NMW to seafarers. In October 2020, legislation came into force to extend the minimum wage to all seafarers on domestic voyages in the UK territorial sea or UK section of the continental shelf.

Electric Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support electric vehicle manufacturing.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) aims to support the creation of an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK. The Government continues to work with industry via the ATF to unlock strategic investments in gigafactories, motors and drives, power electronics, and fuel cell systems. In the coming months, after engagement with industry, the Government will build on the ATF and the long-term Advanced Propulsion Centre R&D programme to take decisive action to ensure future investment in the manufacturing of zero emission vehicles.

SIMEC Group: Subsidies

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2023 to Question 156109 on SIMEC Group: Subsidies, whether (a) Aar Tee Group, (b) Pentech, (c) Simec UK Energy Holdings, (d) Atlantis Resources and (e) Simec Atlantis Energy received public funding following the SIMEC Group's acquisition of the Uskmouth B Powerplant in Newport, South Wales in 2015.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The companies listed have received no public funding from the Department for Business and Trade since 2015.

Department for Business and Trade: Equal Pay

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.

Nigel Huddleston: We are currently considering the best way to approach Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting in the Civil Service.Ethnicity Pay Gap Reporting is voluntary.In line with Gender Pay Gap Reporting, the Civil Service is looking to develop a consistent methodology to be used in departments to produce the data.The outcomes of this development work will inform whether the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is able to publish a report for 2023/2024.More generally the Civil Service is undertaking extensive work both centrally and within DBT to promote diversity across its workplaces, including ethnicity.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence: Regulation

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's publication entitled A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published on 29 March 2023, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure regulatory frameworks keep pace with (a) emerging AI applications and (b) other technological advancements.

Paul Scully: The AI Regulation White Paper proposes a proportionate, collaborative approach to AI regulation, and aims to promote innovation while protecting the UK’s values. Our approach is designed to ensure the Government is able to adapt and respond to the risks and opportunities that emerge as the technology develops at pace.The Government is also working with international partners to understand emerging technologies and AI trends, while promoting the UK’s values, including through key multilateral fora, such as the OECD, the G7, the Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), the Council of Europe, and UNESCO, and through bilateral relationships.The AI regulation white paper proposes a range of new central functions, including a horizon scanning function intended to support the anticipation assessment of emerging risks. This will complement the existing work undertaken by regulators and other government departments to identify and address risks arising from AI.As set out in the white paper, the Government will continue to convene a wide range of stakeholders - including frontier researchers from industry - to ensure that we hear the full spectrum of viewpoints.

Artificial Intelligence: Regulation

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support international (a) cooperation and (b) coordination on artificial intelligence regulation on (i) tackling cross-border challenges and (ii) ensuring that ethical standards are upheld globally.

Paul Scully: The inherent cross-border nature of the digital ecosystem means it is imperative we work closely with partners. This is in order to prevent a fragmented global market, ensure interoperability and promote the responsible development of AI internationally.Many businesses developing and using AI are operating across different jurisdictions, and we recognise the importance of working with global partners to develop a responsive and compatible system of global AI governance, allowing the UK and others to engage meaningfully on cross-border AI risks and opportunities. This will support our vision for a global ecosystem that promotes innovation and responsible development and use of technology, underpinned by our shared values of freedom, fairness, and democracy.The UK AI Regulation White Paper, published in March 2023, recognises the critical role of international collaboration and coordination in AI governance, and prioritises laying the foundations for interoperability: ensuring AI systems can work together as required and that processes are complementary and robust. This will include the role of tools for trustworthy AI such as technical standards and assurance techniques to reduce technical barriers to trade and increase market access.The UK is already playing a leading role in international discussions on AI ethics and potential regulations, such as work at the Council of Europe, the OECD, UNESCO, the Global Partnership on AI and the G7. The Government will continue to work with our partners around the world to shape international norms and standards relating to AI, including those developed by multilateral and multistakeholder bodies at global and regional level, and to promote the safe and responsible development of AI.

Artificial Intelligence: Standards

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps with stakeholders from the artificial intelligence industry to establish (a) standards and (b) guidelines for the (i) safe and (ii) secure deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.

Paul Scully: The AI Regulation White Paper proposes a proportionate, collaborative approach to AI regulation.The approach set out in the white paper ensures that the full range of tools to support effective governance including technical standards and assurance techniques to support the implementation of the UK’s approach. The Government is actively supporting the development of these tools. The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation is building on the AI Assurance Roadmap to establish an AI Assurance ecosystem in the UK, and the UK AI Standards Hub champions the use of global technical standards. These initiatives include collaboration with industry to showcase how these tools can be applied to real-world use cases to align with the AI regulatory principles.This collaborative approach is also reflected in the UK’s plans to accelerate the UK’s capability in artificial intelligence. The Foundation Model Taskforce will develop the safe and reliable use of this pivotal artificial intelligence (AI) across the economy, and ensure the UK is globally competitive in this strategic technology.The UK will continue to take a leading role in international discussions on the responsible and ethical development of AI through multilateral forums such as the OECD, Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), and the G7 where we were particularly pleased to reach an agreement last week that recognised the need for close working on AI – with a focus on Generative AI.

Research: Artificial Intelligence

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support (a) responsible research and development into and (b) the use of ethical practices on artificial intelligence by industry.

Paul Scully: The Government is taking a number of steps to support responsible research and promote ethical practices in the AI industry. The AI Regulation White Paper sets out 5 cross-sector principles which will guide and inform the responsible development of AI. In addition, this Government has allocated £2 million for the development of regulatory sandboxes for businesses to make it easier for them to navigate the regulatory landscape so they can bring innovative products to market whilst doing so in line with our principlesWe will also continue to take a leading role in global standards development organisations, such as the ISO and IEC, to develop global AI technical standards that uphold our democratic values. In this context, the AI Standards Hub led by The Alan Turing Institute, in collaboration with the British Standards Institution and the National Physical Laboratory, and supported by the UK Government, will aim to grow the UK’s multi-stakeholder contribution to the development of global AI technical standards.£8.5 million funding has been made available via the Arts and Humanities Research Council in June 2022 June for ‘Enabling a Responsible AI Ecosystem’, the first major academic research programme on AI ethics and regulation of this scale. This is complemented by the £117 million investment secured this year for new UKRI Centres for Doctoral Training – on top of £100 million for existing Centres funded in 2019 – which include ethics and social responsibility courses for the PhD candidates they train.Announced in April this year, the Government is also establishing a Foundation Model Taskforce with £100 million start-up funding to ensure sovereign capabilities and broad adoption of safe and reliable foundation models. The Taskforce will focus on opportunities to establish the UK as a world leader in foundation models and their applications across the economy, and acting as a global standard bearer for AI safety.Finally, Crown Commercial Service’s AI Marketplace dynamic purchase system for public sector procurement of AI, which operationalised the recommendations of the Office for AI’s procurement guidelines, has a baseline ethics standard for suppliers into government.

Artificial Intelligence

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to take steps to help ensure that AI (a) algorithms and (b) systems are transparent, explainable, and free from bias or discrimination.

Paul Scully: Our recently published white paper sets out a framework for regulating AI, which is underpinned by five cross-sectoral principles which will inform the responsible development and use of AI. These principles include ‘Appropriate transparency and explainability’ and ‘Fairness’.As set out in the white paper, our iterative framework aims to ensure that AI systems are appropriately transparent and explainable, allowing for individuals, regulators and organisations to have access to appropriate information about an AI system, as well as to be able to interpret and understand the decision-making processes behind them. Together, appropriate transparency and explainability will help to drive trust and understanding of AI systems.The white paper is subject to public consultation open until 21 June 2023.In terms of AI systems used in delivering public services, the Government was one of the first in the world to implement an algorithmic transparency standard for use in public service delivery, allowing public sector organisations to provide clear information about algorithmic tools they use to support decisions, including why they are using them. The Government’s AI procurement guidelines also recommend that systems being procured should undergo an equality impact assessment in order to ensure that AI meets the needs of the diverse society it serves.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

George Freeman: The Department for Science, Technology & Innovation was created on 7th February 2023, and this response relates to the Department’s main occupation at 1 Victoria Street, London, and where it is a significant tenant.The number of sewage leaks at 1 Victoria Street was 0 (zero).This building is also the main occupation of the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, and also contains a significant proportion of staff who work for the Department for Business & Trade.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment the Government has made of the impact of HMO licensing requirements on compliance with (a) fire, (b) carbon monoxide and (c) gas safety requirements in homes in which asylum seekers are tenants; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of those licensing requirements on such tenants' (i) wellbeing, (ii) physical health and (iii) mental health.

Rachel Maclean: All licensed houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) are required to comply with mandatory conditions which include a gas safety certificate being presented annually to the local authority; ensuring that a carbon monoxide alarm is installed in any room in the house which is used wholly or partly as living accommodation and contains a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker; and ensuring that a smoke alarm is installed on each storey on which there is a room used wholly or partly as living accommodation.All asylum accommodation used by the Home Office will remain subject to the Home Office accommodation contracts which set out clear minimum standards for asylum accommodation including fire, carbon-monoxide and gas safety. The Home Office Contracts Assurance team will inspect each HMO property benefitting from licensing exemption at least once in the two-year exemption period to ensure that Service Providers are adhering to the housing quality standards set out in the contracts. All local authorities will retain powers to enforce wider private rented sector standards.

Housing: Immigration

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department have made an assessment of the potential impacts of implementing a national migration strategy on (a) planning, (b) housing and (c) house prices.

Rachel Maclean: It is obvious that a rising population due to net migration puts pressure on housing supply, ultimately leading to rising prices.The standard method is used by councils to inform the preparation of their local plans, by considering how many new households there might be in an area in the future, as well as local wages and house prices.The Government is committed to delivering new 300,000 homes per year to help create a more sustainable and affordable housing market. Since 2010, over 2.2 million additional homes have been delivered. Annual housing supply is up 10% compared to the previous year with over 232,000 net additional homes delivered in 2021/22. This is the third highest yearly rate for the last 30 years.There is evidence suggesting that immigration has contributed to rising house prices. The impact on prices in a local area of course depends on local supply and a variety of other factors. The Migration Advisory Committee found in 2018 that at a local authority level a 1% increase in population due to net migration increased house prices by 1%. DLUHC internal analysis supports a link between net migration and rising house prices.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Felicity Buchan: None.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many Ukrainian people have found homes through the Homes for Ukraine scheme since the establishment of that scheme.

Felicity Buchan: Published data on the number of visa applications, issued and arrivals in to the UK by sponsor location for Ukrainian guests and at a local authority level can be accessed here.

Compulsory Purchase: Derelict Land

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to facilitate Compulsory Purchase Orders on brownfield sites to counter land banking by developers where land has remained undeveloped after two years.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to increase the levy on land where there has been evidence of land banking prior to the completion of a development in the context of the Community Infrastructure Levy.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help tackle the practice of landbanking.

Rachel Maclean: Local authorities have compulsory purchase powers to acquire development land.The Community Infrastructure Levy is an enabling, not a punitive, device. It is a charge on development to help fund the infrastructure needed to support development, payable from the date of commencement of works on site.Where sites have planning permission, work should move ahead as quickly as possible. However, there can be genuine reasons why developments are built out more slowly than expected. Local authorities can issue completion notices to deal with tardy developers or unreasonable delay.

Social Rented Housing: Construction

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to (a) support local authorities in building new social housing and (b) review the funding model for building new social housing.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using Compulsory Purchase Orders to secure more land for (a) social housing and (b) public use.

Dehenna Davison: We are supporting local authorities to continue to deliver new and existing supply plans for council housing. In March we announced a preferential borrowing rate for council housebuilding from the Public Works Loan Board. We have also recently introduced a package of reforms on how councils can spend their Right to Buy receipts to give them increased flexibilities to make local housing decisions. Local authorities continue to benefit from our £11.5bn Affordable Homes Programme, which will deliver tens of thousands of affordable homes for both sale and rent, right across the country.Local authorities have a range of compulsory purchase powers available to them which they may use to acquire land for social housing or a public use. The Government is seeking to reform the compulsory purchase compensation regime to support local authorities to acquire land at reduced value for social housing, providing there is justification in the public interest. A new power has been introduced by the Government in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill that will allow local authorities to request a direction to acquire land for social housing without payment of hope value.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Passports: British National (Overseas)

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has issued guidance to British banks operating in Hong Kong on recognition of British National (Overseas) passports as valid identity documents for pension withdrawal.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We are aware of the difficulties BN(O)s are experiencing in seeking early withdrawal of their pension held by the Mandatory Provident Fund in Hong Kong. The root of the problem is the Chinese Government's decision not to recognise the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passport as a valid identity document in Hong Kong. The UK firmly opposes the discrimination of BN(O)s in this way. We have urged the Hong Kong authorities to facilitate the early drawdown of funds as is the case for other Hong Kong residents who move overseas permanently. I last did so with Christopher Hui, Hong Kong Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury on 18 April and pressed for a pragmatic solution. The Investment Minister, Lord Johnson, also raised the matter with Hong Kong's Commercial Secretary, Algernon Yau, during his recent visit to Hong Kong.

Pacific Ocean Islands: Diplomatic Service

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in the Pacific region on the potential upgrading of Honorary Consulates in (a) the Solomon Islands, (b) Vanuatu and (c) Tuvalu to High Commissions.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has High Commissions with accredited resident High Commissioners in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, the latter of which was opened in 2019. The UK High Commissioner to Fiji is also the accredited non-resident High Commissioner to Tuvalu.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh following Cyclone Mocha.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: I was saddened to see the impact of Cyclone Mocha in Bangladesh. We continue to meet ongoing needs in the aftermath of the cyclone. The UK recently announced an additional £2.3 million in humanitarian support for the Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.This new funding will support the rebuilding of shelters destroyed by Cyclone Mocha and by the large fire in March this year. It will also provide healthcare, site management support, and strengthen safeguarding systems for Rohingya refugees and host communities.The UK is the second largest donor to the crisis, providing £352 million since 2017. We will continue to support the Government of Bangladesh and the Rohingya people until they can return home in a safe, voluntary and dignified way.

China: Taiwan

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Chinese counterpart on Taiwan.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Foreign Secretary discussed Taiwan with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in February this year.

Climate Change: Finance

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that funding for climate adaptation is directed to countries that need it most.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: At COP27 the UK committed to triple its adaptation climate finance from £500 million in 2019 to £1.5 billion a year by 2025, building on £2.4 billion of International Climate Finance spent from 2016-2020 on climate adaptation. The UK also committed to helping climate vulnerable countries to better access finance through a new approach being pioneered by the UK co-led Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance. These investments are helping the most vulnerable adapt and build resilience to climate change.

Tuvalu: Visits Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to visit Tuvalu in the next year.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: There are currently no confirmed plans for a visit to Tuvalu within the next year. The UK is committed to creating lasting partnerships with Pacific Island Countries, demonstrated by the Foreign Secretary's visit to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands in April. The UK works with Tuvalu on its priorities in line with the Pacific Island Forum's 2050 Strategy for a Blue Pacific Continent, including tackling climate change, building economic resilience and promoting sustainable development. The UK Government regularly engages with the Government of Tuvalu through our High Commission in Fiji and through ministerial engagement, most recently at the World Bank Annual Meetings in October 2022 and at COP27 in November 2022. I also visited Vanuatu in November 2022, where I engaged with counterparts across the pacific islands.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to (a) scale up the £11.6 billion of climate finance pledged over five years to developing countries and (b) include funding modalities that are accessible to local civil society actors.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK is delivering on our commitment to spend £11.6 billion International Climate Finance (ICF) between financial year 2021/2022 and financial year 2025/2026, including £3 billion on development solutions that protect and restore nature. We are fully committed to ensuring that finance flows to the local level and are working on systems to increase local actors' role in development decision making. In addition, we have committed £100 million to delivering the aims and objectives of the Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance which includes bringing together bilateral and multilateral providers, climate funds and recipient countries to ensure that climate finance reaches where it's most urgently needed and supports the most vulnerable populations.

Africa: International Relations

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) strengthen partnerships with African countries and (b) support greater African representation in multilateral fora.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Across Africa, the UK is investing in long-term mutually beneficially partnerships with African countries and institutions to build a freer, safer, more prosperous, healthier and greener future for UK and African citizens alike. We also enjoy a strong relationship with the African Union, collaborating effectively across a range of shared priorities.We are clear that Africa's voice must be heard at the world's top tables. As set out in the Integrated Review refresh, we support further African representation in multilateral institutions including the United Nations Security Council and the G20. This position was reaffirmed amongst G7 countries in the recent Hiroshima G7 Summit Leaders Communique.

Education: Children

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to consult children on ways to address barriers to education.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO is committed to addressing barriers to education. A key part of this is engaging with children, particularly girls, on the issues that affect them. In May 2023, officials met with adolescent girls to hear about the barriers to education they are facing, including early and forced marriage, gender-based violence, poverty and conflict. Girls' Clubs, implemented through the UK's Girls' Education Challenge projects, consult students on the barriers they face to education and how best to overcome them. Club members in the Adolescent Girls' Education in Somalia project, were 12.5% more likely to remain in school, compared to their peers.

Sudan: Refugees

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support UK citizens who have family that are leaving Sudan; and whether his Department plans to take steps to support their safe transportation to the UK.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Since 25 April, the UK has supported the departure of 2,450 people, including British nationals and dependants out of Sudan. The UK Government continues to provide limited consular assistance to British nationals still in Sudan. Those who have left by alternative means to neighbouring countries are receiving consular support on a case-by-case basis.  British nationals who require assistance can call us 24/7. Sudanese nationals who have travelled to a third country and wish to join family members in the UK will need to apply for a visa, if they do not already have the right to enter the UK. Further information can be found online at GOV.UK.

Public Bodies: Children and Young People

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a children and youth advisory council within his Department to help ensure that children and young people are consulted within crisis response and long-term development work.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government is committed to the promotion, protection and realisation of children's rights in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). We see meaningfully engaging with children and young people as a core part of this. For example, in 2022, my predecessor, Rt Hon Vicky Ford MP convened a roundtable with young people from conflict-affected countries to hear directly from their experience of crisis response. In May 2023, senior officials met with seven adolescent girls from around the world to discuss a range of key challenges in their contexts and their perspectives on best practice for consulting children.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Coral Reefs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support the preservation of coral reefs surrounding the Turks and Caicos Islands.

David Rutley: The Overseas Territories governments have responsibility for management and protection of the marine environment. Through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund, the FCDO have supported the Overseas Territories to develop coral reef action plans and provided technical advice on tackling Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, which has been rapidly spreading across the Caribbean. In addition, Turks and Caicos Islands joined the FCDO's Blue Belt Programme in 2022. This programme supports enhanced protection and sustainable management of marine environments, including additional protection for key species and habitats.

Gaza: Israel

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with his international partners to help support Israel to tackle terrorist threats from the Gaza Strip.

David Rutley: The Foreign Secretary wrote to his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen on 10 May to express the UK's enduring support for Israel's right for self-defence. In his 14 May statement, the Foreign Secretary welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and militant factions in Gaza, brokered by Egypt. The ceasefire must now be honoured to prevent the loss of further civilian life. The UK will support all efforts to promote dialogue and create a pathway towards sustainable peace.

Anguilla: Transport

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government is taking steps to help support the development of Anguilla's aviation and transport links.

David Rutley: The UK Government is committed to supporting the development of Anguilla's aviation and transport links. The FCDO's Anguilla programme upgraded infrastructure across the island, including the main ferry terminal and cargo jetty. This includes funding an independent Aviation Master Plan which provides a comprehensive and strategic way forward for Anguilla's airport redevelopment, as well as funding a new ferry terminal. Additionally, the UK Government is supporting the construction of a new Airport Terminal Building through the Anguilla Economic Resilience Programme, providing £4 million last year and £4 million this year for this project. The UK Government continues to work in close partnership with the Government of Anguilla in the delivery of key projects that will serve to underpin Anguilla's economic resilience.

Israel: Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to condemn Iran for its alleged support for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s recent attacks on Israel.

David Rutley: The UK Government regularly assesses the impact of Iran's destabilising activity throughout the region, including its political, financial and military support to several militant and proscribed groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Such activity compromises the region's security, its ability to prosper and escalates already high tensions, with consequences for the international community. It is for this reason that we currently have over 350 sanctions in place against the Iranian regime. PIJ and other terrorist groups must cease their campaign of violence, for which there is no justification. As the Foreign Secretary said in his 14 May statement, we welcome the current Egyptian-brokered ceasefire and urge all sides to de-escalate tensions.

Anguilla: Renewable Energy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support the development of renewable energy in Anguilla.

David Rutley: The UK Government is supporting the Government of Anguilla in their approach to developing renewable energy in Anguilla, in addition to wider support on climate and environment protections. Through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), and in partnership with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the FCDO funded a feasibility study on retro-fitting ferries in Anguilla with battery powered engines. This is part of ongoing work to explore the possibility of developing the first green corridor in the Caribbean.

Tristan da Cunha: Renewable Energy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support the development of renewable energy on Tristan da Cunha.

David Rutley: The UK Government is supporting Tristan da Cunha to shift towards greater use of renewable energy. Most recently, the UK Government provided funding through its Conflict Stability and Security Fund programme for a 2022 review into alternative renewable energy sources and how these might be expanded across the island. The UK Government has also committed up to £2.5 million in financial support to Tristan for 2023/4 to fund Tristan's critical technical assistance and infrastructure needs. We will continue to work with Tristan leaders to determine how the report's findings can be taken forward.

Afghanistan and Pakistan: Development Aid

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the level of aid provided by his Department to (a) Afghanistan and (b) Pakistan in financial years (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24.

Leo Docherty: Afghanistan is one of FCDO's largest bilateral aid programmes. Since April 2021, the UK has spent £532 million on aid for Afghanistan. We continually monitor the situation in Afghanistan and support the UN led humanitarian response which prioritises according to need. The UK's development partnership with Pakistan focuses on underlying structural issues including population dynamics, climate vulnerability, protecting the rights of women and minorities and macroeconomic stabilisation. Within this partnership the UK has pledged a total of £36 million for flood relief efforts in Pakistan since 2022, of which over £25 million has been disbursed to date.

Turkey: Grey Wolves

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recent activities of the Grey Wolves organisation in Turkey.

Leo Docherty: We keep the situation in Turkey, including reports of alleged activities of far right groups, under close scrutiny. Turkey is an indispensable partner for the UK and we are working to strengthen our partnership and make both countries safer and more prosperous. This means working together on regional stability and security, partnering on counter terrorism, and growing our bilateral trade and investment.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

David Rutley: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has had no sewage leaks on the UK Estate during the last 12 months.

Mexico: Homicide

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of rates of investigation of murders of women in Mexico.

David Rutley: We are aware of the high rates of femicide and more generally, high levels of impunity in Mexico, including in the case of violent crimes. We regularly engage with the Mexican federal and state authorities on gender and security and call on them to ensure violence against women and girls is fully investigated.Our Embassy in Mexico City runs several projects throughout Mexico, including a regional Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) project that has adapted evidence from the UK 'What Works to Prevent VAWG' programme to a Latin American context.

Montserrat: Tourism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the tourism industry in Montserrat.

David Rutley: The UK Government is supporting the Government of Montserrat through Budget Support funding to deliver public service, including Tourism Division, and by funding a development project to build a modern, climate resilient port including the construction of a new 130m long pier that will act as a breakwater to ensure calm mooring conditions in most weather conditions for the majority of vessels. This new infrastructure will result in increased opportunities for tourism related activities as luxury cruise ships or tenders from larger cruise ships will be better accommodated at the port and will improve opportunities for passenger access via ferries.

British Virgin Islands: Fisheries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support the deep sea fishing industry in the British Virgin Islands.

David Rutley: The management and development of British Virgin Island's (BVI) fishing industry is a responsibility of the BVI Government. We are encouraging the BVI government to join the UK Government's Overseas Territories Blue Belt Programme which provides advice and support on sustainable commercial fisheries management, management of marine activities and enhanced marine protection. Remote surveillance, monitoring and enforcement capabilities to tackle issues such as illegal unregulated fishing, are also available as part of the Blue Belt, or they can be accessed as a standalone support package known as the Blue Belt Ocean Shield. Initial discussions on the potential for BVI to join the Blue Belt have been held at Ministerial and official level with the BVI government.

China: Diplomatic Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking diplomatic steps to tackle the potential (a) influence and (b) presence of China in the South Atlantic region; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The Foreign Secretary laid out our global approach to China in a speech at Mansion House on 25 April. In response to the epoch-defining challenge of China we have a multifaceted approach: to strengthen our national security protections, align and cooperate with our partners, and engage where it is consistent with our interests. We, with international partners, follow Chinese activities in the South Atlantic region and regularly discuss these with interested governments.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Foreign Relations

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential role of the Chagos Islands in supporting the UK's long-term geopolitical interests.

David Rutley: The joint UK/US base on Diego Garcia has contributed significantly to regional and global security. The base helps the UK, US and other allies and partners to combat some of the most challenging threats, including from terrorism, organised crime and instability.The UK and Mauritius are in ongoing negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)/Chagos Archipelago. Both sides have reiterated that any agreement will ensure the continued effective operation of the joint military base.

Diego Garcia: Rendition and Torture

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of allegations of rendition and torture at the Diego Garcia military base between 2001 and 2008.

David Rutley: The UK Government opposes any form of deprivation of liberty that amounts to placing a detained person outside the protection of the law. The UK supports the rule of law, and our policy remains that individuals suspected of involvement in terrorism should be brought to justice.

Attorney General

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Attorney General, how many sewage leaks have been recorded within their Department's estate in the last twelve months.

Michael Tomlinson: The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is managed by government property services provided by the Government Property Agency. This includes wastewater management and therefore the AGO does not hold this information.

Ministry of Justice

Offences against Children: Convictions

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the conviction rate was for child abuse offences for (a) white British and (b) British Pakistani people in each of the last five years.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on prosecutions, convictions and sentence outcomes in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2022 including offences as set out in the Offence Group Classification. This includes filters for defendant demographics such as ethnicity and age.However, child abuse offences are not specifically defined in legislation and could include a wide range of offences relating to physical, emotional, or neglectful abuse. Whether an offence was committed against a child may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.  Further, although the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2022 can be filtered to detailed ethnicity based on the 18+1 ethnicity classification, it is not possible to disaggregate defendants of British Pakistani ethnicity from British Asian ethnicity in the data.

Rape: Trials

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of rape trials in England and Wales that have been postponed within 24 hours' notice in each year since 2010.

Edward Argar: A trial which will no longer take place on the date set aside for it in the court calendar is referred to as a ‘vacated’ trial. This usually happens when one or both parties is not ready to proceed and there is agreement between them that an adjournment would be in order.Crown Court: Rape Trials vacated within 24 hours of the trial dateVacated Year 201559201667201776201838201919202053202183202241 Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and is the best data that is available. Data are taken from a live management information system and can change over time.Trials vacated because either the prosecution discontinued the case before the trial date or where the defendant changed their plea to guilty to the original charge have been excluded since there was no further need for a trial. Trials vacated because either the prosecution discontinued the case before the trial date or where the defendant changed their plea to guilty to the original charge have been excluded since there was no further need for a trial. If a trial date was vacated more than once in the same year it has been counted for each time.We are progressing significant work to improve victims’ experiences of the criminal justice system. We have invested a significant amount of funding, are recruiting up to 1,000 judges across all jurisdictions in 2023/24 and have recently announced the continued use of 24 Nightingale courtrooms into the 2023/24 financial year. We are delivering enhanced specialist sexual violence support in three Crown Court locations and funding Operation Soteria to provide police and prosecutors with new tools to support them to progress cases more effectively.

Marriage: Location

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2022 to Question 45488 on Marriage: Location, whether he plans to implement the Law Commission's recommendations on removing restrictions on venues where civil and religious marriages can take place; and if he will make a statement.

Mike Freer: In July 2019, the Government invited the Law Commission to undertake a wholesale review on weddings law in England and Wales. The Law Commission report was published on 19 July 2022 and contains 57 recommendations for extensive legislative reform.We must now take the time to consider the report recommendations fully. As has been set out in Parliament, marriage will always be one of our most important institutions, and we have a duty to consider the implications of any changes to the law in this area very carefully. We will publish a response to the report in due course.

Department for Education

Students: Loans

Ashley Dalton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing student maintenance loans above the planned 2.8 per cent given the current level of inflation.

Robert Halfon: Decisions on student support for higher education courses are taken on an annual basis and changes for the 2023/24 academic year were made through regulations laid in January 2023. The department has continued to increase maximum loans and grants for living and other costs on an annual basis, with a 2.3% increase for the 2022/23 academic year and a further 2.8% increase for 2023/24.The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have impacted students. On 11 January 2023 the department announced a one-off funding boost of £15 million to this year's student premium. There is now £276 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help. This extra funding will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes.Furthermore, students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the tax year 2022/23 has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, have been able to apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.

Further Education: St Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) improve and (b) simplify access to tertiary education in the UK for people from St Helena.

Robert Halfon: The government makes provision for students in tertiary education from St Helena and other British Overseas Territories.For higher education, students who have settled status on arrival in the UK, who come to the UK from specified British Overseas Territories, and who are starting designated full-time and part-time undergraduate courses in the 2022/23 academic year or after are eligible for home fee status and tuition fee loans in England, subject to meeting the residency requirement. This requires that they have been ordinarily resident in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and/or specified British Overseas Territories throughout the three-year period preceding the first day of the first academic year of the course, with at least part of that period having been spent in the British Overseas Territories.For further education, students aged 16-19, recognised as having a legal right to reside in the UK, are entitled to 16-19 education funding in England and should be able to enrol at 16-19 providers. Details are outlined in the ‘Funding guidance for young people 2022 to 2023’ guidance, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1105843/16_to_19_funding_guidance_Regulations_2022_to_2023-Version_1a_FINAL_PUBLISHED.pdf.It must be noted that schools and colleges have their own entry and eligibility criteria based on departmental guidance. Individuals aged 19 and over who are eligible for the Education and Skills Funding Agency-funded Adult Education Budget include those with a right of abode who have been residing in British Overseas Territories, which includes St Helena, for at least the previous three years on the first day of learning.

Schools: Transport and Uniforms

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the affordability of (a) transport to school and (b) school uniform for families that are not eligible for support for those costs.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of providing free transport to and from school for all children.

Nick Gibb: The Government understands that many people are worried about the impact of rising prices, with many households struggling to make their incomes stretch to cover the basics. The Government cannot insulate people from rising costs completely, but it is offering support to help people with costs such as childcare, bills and transport. The Government’s dedicated website provides more information about support with the cost of living. The information is available here: https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/.The Department’s school transport policy aims to ensure that no child of compulsory school age is unable to access education because of a lack of transport. Local Authorities must arrange free travel to school for children aged 5 to 16 who attend their nearest school and cannot walk there due to the distance, route safety, or as a result of special educational needs, disability or mobility problems. There are additional rights to free travel for low income families aimed at helping them to exercise school choice. There are no plans to extend free home to school travel to all children.Local Authorities spent more than £1.6 billion on home to school travel in the 2021/22 financial year. The majority of central Government funding for home to school travel is made available to Local Authorities through the Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS), which is administered by the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). The Department for Education provides grant funding to Local Authorities as a contribution towards the cost of extended rights travel. This is just under £45.8 million in the 2023/24 financial year.The Department has published statutory guidance on the ‘Cost of School Uniform’ to ensure that the cost of school uniform is reasonable and secures best value for money for all parents. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms. It is for the governing board of a school to decide whether there should be a school uniform policy and, if so, what that should be.The guidance requires schools to ensure that their uniform is affordable and sets a number of requirements to help ensure that. These requirements include assessing the cost implications of their uniform policy and engaging with parents and pupils on cost issues.

Schools: Uniforms

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to support families with the cost of (a) primary and (b) secondary school uniforms.

Nick Gibb: New statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms came into force in September 2022, following publication by the Government in November 2021. The guidance is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms.Schools must have regard to this guidance when they are developing and implementing their uniform policy. The guidance requires schools to keep branded items to a minimum, give the highest priority to cost and value for money in their supply arrangements, and ensure that second hand uniforms are available for parents to acquire.

Families

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what resources are available to schools on promoting the nuclear family.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not promote one type of family over another, but emphasises the characteristics of a healthy family life, commitment to one another and the importance of protection and care.The statutory ‘relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education’ guidance states that all pupils should receive teaching on the importance of families, including how to recognise and respect different types of families. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.The Department has produced free training materials for schools including a specific training module about families, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-training-families.The Government has brought forward the review of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance, which will enable the Department to consider all the evidence and decide whether the existing provisions in the guidance need to be strengthened further. The RSHE review will be complete before the end of 2023, with revised statutory guidance coming into force soon after.The Government has also introduced Family Hubs that make it easier for families to get the support they need. The Hub approach means professionals and partners working together more effectively, with a focus on supporting and strengthening the family relationships that carry us all through life.

Children: Romania

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of the Romanian community on the rights of access to (a) schools and (b) after-school clubs for the children of Romanian parents; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department has had no discussions with representatives of the Romanian community on either of these matters. Every child resident in this country has a right to an education and a school place, irrespective of their national origins.In addition, the Government is making £289 million available for a new childcare ‘pathfinder’ scheme. This will support Local Authorities to work with primary schools and private providers to set up and deliver wraparound childcare before and after school.

Educational Visits: Disadvantaged

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of children who do not participate in (a) school trips and (b) residentials due to financial constraints; and if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her Department's policies.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not collect information about children who participate in school trips.Schools may not charge for school trips that take place during school hours. Schools also may not charge for school trips that take place outside of school hours but that are part of the National Curriculum, part of religious education, or part of the syllabus for a public exam that the pupil is being prepared for at the school. Parents can be asked for contributions towards the cost of a trip, but schools must make clear that contributions are voluntary.If a trip requires a night away from home, parents can be charged for board and lodging, but parents who receive certain benefits cannot be charged and schools should be clear about this in their communications.The published advice, ‘Charging for School Activities’, is clear that no child should be excluded from an activity simply because their parents are unwilling or unable to pay. This advice is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charging-for-school-activities.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2023 to Question 183685 on Disability and Special Educational Needs: Young People and the Answer of 15 May 2023 to Question 183686 on Education: Finance, how many (a) programmes and (b) activities were funded by local partnerships boards for young people with special educational needs in the last three years.

Nick Gibb: Local Partnership Boards were established in autumn 2022 to support the prioritisation of new Local Needs Funding.Activities and programmes to be funded by the Local Needs Funding are currently being commissioned for delivery through to March 2025.

Model History Curriculum Expert Panel

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times the Model history curriculum expert panel has met since its establishment; when those meetings took place; whether a draft of the model curriculum has been (a) written and (b) circulated to members of the panel; and what recent estimate she has made of when the model history curriculum will be published.

Nick Gibb: The model history curriculum expert panel met in July 2022 to advise on the direction of the model history curriculum. The panel will meet again later this summer to consider a draft.The Department intends to publish the model history curriculum in early 2024.

Department for Transport

Roads: Active Travel

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2023 to Question 185411 on Roads: Active Travel, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of National Highways delivering the Government's policy on cycling and walking.

Jesse Norman: Designated Funds is one of the key funding vehicles for active travel investment. National Highways is due to invest £105 million in walking and cycling schemes during this five-year RIS2 period. There are, however, other National Highways programmes which will deliver active travel policies, including major enhancement schemes and maintenance and renewal projects but it is not possible to disaggregate the costs of the active travel components of these.

Roads: Active Travel

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ask National Highways to carry out an assessment of the adequacy of its role in the improvement of cycling and walking infrastructure as part of the development of its third Roads Investment Strategy.

Jesse Norman: National Highways is committed to support all road users, including walkers, cyclists and horse-riders. Its research and feedback, combined with insight from others such as Transport Focus, informs its understanding of how its services and roads may need to evolve to meet their needs. National Highways is already proposing to conduct an assessment of active travel integration along its network in order to identify major or complex severance issues, as well as opportunities to connect with wider active travel provision, such as national cycle networks.

Department for Transport: Equality

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people were employed by his Department to work on matters relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport employed 11.2 full-time employees in 2022 to work on matters relating to equality, diversity and inclusivity, and 10.5 full-time employees in 2021.Five of these employees work on inclusive travel and equalities in travel, for example in ensuring there is access for disabled people and those who share protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010.

Aviation: India

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made a recent estimate of future trends in the level of demand for flights to (a) Gujarat and (b) other parts of India; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: In deciding whether to operate air services, airlines will, of course, assess demand. The UK through the Department for Transport works with international partners, such as India, to open-up market access and provide airlines with commercial opportunities.

Air India: Air Routes

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with his Indian counterpart on reforming the air services agreement with Air India; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: My officials are working with their Indian counterparts to review and update our bilateral air services arrangements with India.

Great British Railways

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to introduce legislative proposals to (a) create Great British railways and (b) progress contractual reforms for train operators.

Huw Merriman: We are working closely with the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) and the sector and will progress legislation when parliamentary time allows.  Many reforms and tangible benefits for rail users can be delivered ahead of legislation, including workforce reform, continuing the rollout of Pay-As-You-Go ticketing, simplifying fares, building local partnerships as well as the publication of the first draft of the Long-Term Strategy for Rail. New Passenger Service Contracts will balance the right performance incentives with simple, commercially driven targets that ensure a central role for the private sector in delivering for passengers. We will consult with the market to develop and design the detail of the new contracts, before launching competitions in due course.

Cabinet Office

Wetlands: Urban Areas

Siobhan Baillie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the monetary value of the benefits delivered by urban wetlands.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady Parliamentary Question of 22 May is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 105.5KB)

Wetlands: Urban Areas

Sarah Olney: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the monetary value of the benefits delivered by urban wetlands.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady Parliamentary Question of 22 May is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 105.1KB)

Wetlands: Urban Areas

Emma Hardy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he will make an estimate of the contribution of urban wetlands to the economy.

Emma Hardy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the monetary value of the benefits delivered by urban wetlands.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Questions of 22 May are attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 105.8KB)

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Ofgem

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the impartiality of Ofgem.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem is established in statute as the independent regulator for gas and electricity markets in Great Britain. As the independent regulator, Ofgem takes its regulatory decisions independently and within its regulatory powers it is free to decide on the most appropriate regulatory approach to a particular issue. The Government recently published its consultation on a Strategy and Policy Statement for Energy Policy in Great Britain. This document reinforces Ofgem’s independence as a regulator, while also providing guidance to Ofgem on delivering the Government’s energy priorities.

Energy: Prices

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of competition in the retail energy market.

Amanda Solloway: The Government does hold this information.Ofgem monitors the retail energy market for gas and electricity and these data are published regularly on the Ofgem website: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/retail-market-indicators.The number of consumers switching contracts is a key metric indicating the level of competition. Ofgem’s data show that switching remains significantly below that seen before the gas price crisis started. However, the most recent figures for February 2023 show that the total number of switches was up 41% relative to January 2023, and 58% above the level observed in February 2022.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

UK Athletics: Finance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure the financial security of UK Athletics.

Stuart Andrew: UK Sport - the Department’s Arm’s Length Body on elite sport - works very closely with UK Athletics and other National Governing Bodies.UK Sport is continuing to invest in both UK Athletics’ elite performance and major events programmes. This includes an investment of £22,175,520 in the Athletics World Class Programme and an investment of £9,065,401 in the Para Athletics World Class Programme across the four year cycle leading to Paris 2024.UK Sport is investing £1.45 million in the 2024 World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow and £3 million in the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.

World Heritage Sites: Cayman Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department is providing to the Cayman Islands to help them achieve UNESCO World Heritage status.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is actively engaging with all the five new sites on the UK's Tentative List of World Heritage Sites, including The Little Cayman Marine Parks and Protected Areas. We are also coordinating engagement between the sites and the Government's expert advisers on cultural and natural heritage — Historic England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. This is to ensure that all sites receive the advice and support they need to develop their World Heritage nomination.Sites on the new Tentative List are expected to submit their nominations to become a World Heritage Site to UNESCO, where they will be examined by the World Heritage Committee, which will make the final decision on whether to inscribe the site on the World Heritage List.

Women and Equalities

Equality Hub: Staff

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in the Equality Hub.

Maria Caulfield: As part of a recent structure, we considered the staffing levels required to deliver an agreed set of priorities with Ministers. The resources that we have enable us to deliver those priorities whilst ensuring staff workloads are appropriate.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pension Credit: Carers

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether carers approaching state pension age who will lose their entitlement to Carer's Allowance are automatically directed to claim Pension Credit..

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is a saving to the public purse when State Pension replaces Carer's Allowance.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of providing additional financial support to carers in receipt of the State Pension.

Tom Pursglove: Carer’s Allowance aims to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment, in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person.For those over the age of retirement, the State Pension is intended to replace income when work ceases. It has been a long-held feature of the UK’s benefit system under successive governments that, where someone is entitled to two benefits for the same contingency, then whilst there may be entitlement to both benefits, only one will be paid to prevent duplicate financial provision for the same need. We have no plans to change these arrangements.Where underlying entitlement of Carer’s Allowance occurs (all entitlement conditions are met, but the overlapping benefit rule prevents payment), additional financial support may already be available through Pension Credit, notably including the additional amount payable to carers in Pension Credit. This additional amount is currently £42.75 a week and 108,000 people are receiving it. It is paid to recognise the additional contribution and responsibilities associated with caring and means that lower income pensioners with caring responsibilities can receive more than other lower income recipients of Pension Credit. If a pensioner’s income is above the limit for Pension Credit, he or she may still be able to receive Housing Benefit. Since April 2022, the Government has undertaken a substantial and sustained communications campaign to raise awareness of Pension Credit and promote its take-up, including extensive advertising in regional and national newspapers, on social media, on the radio and on TV. The department also includes information in the leaflet that accompanies the annual uprating letters to pensioners drawing attention to the availability of Pension Credit and encouraging them to check their eligibility and make a claim.

Home Office

Refugees: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2023 to Question 184276 on Refugees: Afghanistan, what categories of data her Department holds on its role in the Afghan Relations and Assistance Policy.

Robert Jenrick: The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help relocate some of the most at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,500 vulnerable people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP).Work is underway to assure information relating to all the individuals relocated under the ARAP and ACRS on case working systems. Once this work concludes, statistics on both schemes, including the number of people resettled under each, will be included in the published Immigration Statistics.Statistics on individuals resettled or relocated under the Afghan schemes are available in the Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022 release.For a summary of the data, see the resettlement section of the ‘How many people do we grant protection to?’ chapter; for detailed data, see table Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets.The resettlement data here includes those who have been resettled under ‘Pathway 1’ and ‘Pathway 2’ of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme or relocated under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy.

Immigration Controls: Impact Assessments

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to publish an impact assessment for the proposed electronic travel authorisation scheme.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office will publish the Economic Impact Assessment for the introduction of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme shortly. The Impact Assessment will be published once the ETA fee is set.

Passports: Applications

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has for UK nationals applying for passports who are unable to obtain full original birth certificates from the countries they were born in.

Robert Jenrick: His Majesty’s Passport Office engages with customers on a case by case basis where they tell us they are unable to obtain original core supporting documents, including full birth certificates, from their countries of birth. Published HM Passport Office guidance provides advice to customers and passport examiners in considering these cases and what alternative evidence can be accepted.Supporting documents guidance assists the passport examiner and customer on what original documents we need and may ask for - Getting your first adult passport: What documents you need to apply - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Balance of probability guidance assists passport examiners in exercising discretion and what alternative documentation can be asked for in place of the missing original documents – Balance of probabilities: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Supporting documents not available guidance assists passport examiners to decide which alternative documentation to ask for from customers who are unable to obtain/provide original documentation - Supporting documents not available: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)All of the relevant guidance referenced in this response is available online for customers to read or they can contact the advice line where additional support is needed.

Naturalisation

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for naturalisation her Department received in each year since 2010; and what the average processing time was for those applications in each of those years.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on the number of applications received and the processing of applications for British citizenship on the Gov.uk website. This includes intake and performance against the six-month service standard for completing applications. The most recent Migration Transparency data published in February 2023 shows that 98.4% of straightforward applications were decided within six months.The link to the latest Migration transparency data can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-q4-2022

Passports: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the necessity of relevant persons of Northern Ireland providing a physical copy of their Irish passport when renewing their British passport.

Robert Jenrick: His Majesty’s Passport Office requires all customers to submit any other passport held (British or otherwise) when applying for a British Passport.This enables HMPO to confirm identity, relevant visa and travel history and evidence consistent name usage of all customers. A colour photocopy may be accepted in some circumstances, including where the original passport is not available or the customer is unable to provide it.

Passports: Fraud

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the prevalence of passport fraud.

Robert Jenrick: HM Passport Office closely monitors fraud threats and trends to ensure that only those people who legitimately apply for a passport receive one.

Wales Office

Novel Foods: Wales

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Welsh Government's decision to spend £440,082 on (a) insect and plant-based proteins and (b) other alternative food sources.

David T C Davies: It is for the Welsh Government to determine appropriate policies and spend in areas devolved to them.

Northern Ireland Office

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Finance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the level of public funding for policing in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Steve Baker: Policing is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s main budget is allocated by the Department of Justice from the Northern Ireland Executive block grant.The recent Budget that the Secretary of State set for Northern Ireland provides the Northern Ireland Department of Justice with a total resource allocation of £1.2 billion. It is for the Department of Justice now to determine the allocation of funding to the Police Service of Northern Ireland from its overall budget.In addition to the block grant, the UK Government provides the Police Service of Northern Ireland with additional security funding to tackle the SEVERE threat from Northern Ireland related terrorism. In the financial year 2022-23 this was circa £32 million and this figure is confirmed through to 2024-25.